Jesus’ Finished Work and Our Unfinished Mission
- Jack Selcher
- Sep 18, 2025
- 3 min read
Updated: 4 days ago
Summary
Mark 16 contrasts Jesus’ finished work with believers’ unfinished mission. Christ’s resurrection, ascension, and exaltation confirm that salvation is complete and fully accepted by God. Believers cannot add to it, but must rest in it. Because Jesus reigns from heaven and empowers His people through the Holy Spirit, a task remains: declaring His finished work to the world so others may receive forgiveness and new life.
The Empty Tomb and the Risen Christ
Mark 16:1-20 describes your unfinished work and Jesus’ finished work. Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome purchased sweet-smelling oils to anoint Jesus’ body sometime after 6:00 p.m. Saturday. At dawn on Sunday, they headed toward Jesus’ grave.
When they arrived, the stone blocking the entrance was already rolled away from the tomb. Inside it, a young man told them Jesus had risen.
Witnesses Who Struggled to Believe
They were to tell the disciples and Peter that Jesus would meet them in Galilee. The disciples were not quick to believe Jesus was alive.
When Mary Magdalene told them they had seen the risen Jesus, they responded as someone would today who was told George Washington was now the President of the United States.
Mark 16:12-13 describes two disciples on the way to Emmaus. No one believed them when they told the rest they had seen the risen Christ.
The disciples did not initially believe the resurrection story. Jesus’ appearance changed their minds.
Your faith rests on the trustworthiness of their testimonies. “After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God” (Mark 16:19 NIV).
Resurrection, Ascension, and Exaltation
The resurrection, ascension, and exaltation of Christ to God’s right hand are part of Jesus’ finished work. The resurrection guarantees that God accepted it on your behalf.
You cannot add to it. He ascended to heaven because He had accomplished the work the Father had assigned on earth.
He left because He would complete the rest of the work from His throne in heaven. Because of His ascension and exaltation, He is now spiritually present everywhere (Ephesians 4:10).
Christ’s Ongoing Ministry from Heaven
He is exercising His priestly ministry in heaven (Hebrews 4:14). He sent the Holy Spirit to indwell you (John 16:7) and give you spiritual gifts (Ephesians 4:8-13).
Freedom, Power, and the Holy Spirit
Because of Jesus’ finished work, you are free from sin’s penalty and power. He has equipped you for spiritual warfare through the gifts and power of the Holy Spirit.
Salvation: Resting Fully in Christ’s Work
Salvation is like a chair on which God asks you to sit and lean your whole weight. Christ’s earthly work fashioned the chair. Do not try to pad it with your good works. Jesus’ last words on the cross were, “It is finished.” You cannot add to it in any way.
Our Unfinished Mission to the World
A work remains—declaring Jesus’ finished work to people everywhere. Because of it, they can become God’s friends. Some will accept it for themselves. Some will not.
The ones who believe and are baptized will be saved (Mark 16:16). The early church had no unbaptized believers.
Through baptism, you identify with Christ and His church. You are not baptized to be saved, but because you already are. How are you identifying with Christ daily?
A work remains. Only 31 percent of the world’s population professes to be Christian.1 God wants to use you as a channel through whom He can love and bring wholeness to your friends, relatives, and associates. Jesus’ unfinished work is to declare His finished work and the forgiveness He freely offers through your words and deeds. See additional free spiritual growth resources for Christians.
God has empowered me to write His Power for Your Weakness—260 Steps Toward Spiritual Strength. It’s a free, evangelistic, devotional, and discipleship e-book. Pastors have used it in Malawi, Mozambique, and Zambia to lead 7,590 people to Christ and teach the basics of Christianity to 17,681 people. I invite you to explore and use it in your setting.
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